The ads scheduled to run during Super Bowl XLVIII "promise something surprising: Maturity," according to Mae Anderson of the AP. There "won't be any close-up tongue kisses" in GoDaddy's ad, nor will there be "half-naked women running around in the Axe body spray spot." VCU creative brand management professor Kelly O'Keefe said, "We're seeing sophistication come to the Super Bowl. Not long ago, almost everything seemed to be about beer or bros or boobs." Experts said that companies are "using the ads to build their image, rather than just grab attention for one night." Anderson noted while the "old adage asserts that 'sex sells,' experts say companies realize that watchers have grown bored with sophomoric humor and other obvious shock tactics" (AP, 1/29). Meanwhile, ESPNW's Kelley Carter wrote in a continuation of a trend over the "past few years, we're seeing several advertisements geared toward women." The "trend from the ladies and gentlemen of Madison Avenue has been clear: Cater to women. A great deal." Previous Super Bowl ads have been "criticized for being sexist and pandering to the female audience," but "smartly, advertisers are tapping into what drives the holders of the purse strings" (ESPNW.com, 1/29). Click here for a preliminary list of Super Bowl XLVIII advertisers during the game telecast on Fox (THE DAILY).

LIKE A ROLLING STONE: BILLBOARD's Andrew Hampp reported while Chobani's Super Bowl ad was released online Tuesday and features Bob Dylan’s song "I Want You," another Dylan-related spot will be "airing on Sunday, this time starring the man himself." Sources said that Dylan will "star in a new commercial for Chrysler." An as-yet-unidentified track from Dylan’s catalog "will provide the soundtrack for the commercial." Dylan’s Chrysler spot is "expected to advertise" Chrysler's new 200 model (BILLBOARD.com, 1/28).

OTHER AD DETAILS: The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER's Debbie Emery reports talk show host Ellen DeGeneres will star in a "fairy tale-themed commercial" for Beats Music. The ad opens with a "caped female figure heading into a party, where guests with owl and pig heads mingle outside a building called The Woods" (HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 1/30). Meanwhile, VARIETY's Marc Graser reported Paramount Pictures has "purchased a Super Bowl spot to promote" film director Darren Aronofsky’s "Noah," which debuts in theaters March 28. The studio plans to show the ad "before kick-off, after the national anthem." Paramount also has a "commercial for Michael Bay’s 'Transformers: Age of Extinction'" that will air during the game (VARIETY.com, 1/29).

GOING LOCAL: In San Diego, Katherine Poythress notes QSR Jack in the Box will run a regional ad "slated to air in 46 television markets during the third quarter" of the Super Bowl to promote its new Bacon Insider burger. The limited-edition burger "boasts bacon mixed into the beef patty, sandwiched on both sides by slices of bacon and smothered in bacon mayonnaise" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 1/30)....The Univ. of Akron for the 16th time has "bought regional airtime" to promote the school. The spot, "once again narrated by UA President Luis Proenza, features research and art scenes and incorporates a fiery, bouncing orb" (AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, 1/30)....San Antonio-based grocery chain H-E-B yesterday "leaked its full-length advertisement" for the game. The ad, which features Fox' Troy Aikman, is "set for broadcast between the third and fourth quarters" in13 Texas markets (SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, 1/30).

CTV SELLS OUT IN CANADA: The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER's Etan Vlessing reported CTV has "sold out its ad inventory" for the game. The Canadian broadcaster "secured an average C$168,000 ($150,500) for 30 seconds of commercial airtime," up 2% from last year. CTV will air Fox' feed of the game live, but the network will "swap out American ads and replace them with high-profile Canadian commercials from major local brands like Labatt Breweries, Ford of Canada, McDonald's and Nissan Canada" (HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 1/28).
TIME IS ON MY SIDE: Also see data in today's issue from Kantar Media on recent trends for Super Bowl ad costs, lengthier spots and percentage of company ad budgets dedicated to Super Bowl spots (THE DAILY).
Print | Tags: Marketing and Sponsorship, Super Bowl, NFL

PepsiCo brands like Mountain Dew will sponsor Earnhardt (l) for five races

NASCAR team Owner Rick Hendrick will "wait patiently for the right sponsor to come along for Dale Earnhardt Jr., spending his own money or leveraging other business partners to fill the races for the sport’s most popular driver," according to Bob Pockrass of SPORTING NEWS. Hendrick for the second straight season has "started the year with 13 unsponsored races" for Earnhardt's No. 88 Chevrolet. He will have 20 races "sponsored by the Army National Guard and five by PepsiCo brands." Hendrick has "routinely said he wouldn’t discount the price for Earnhardt," and emphasized Tuesday that Hendrick Motorsports "has no timetable or deadline to land a new deal." Hendrick last year put his hendrickcars.com website on the "hood of Earnhardt's car for some races and also put Kasey Kahne sponsor and team partner Time Warner Cable on the car at times." Hendrick: “We’ve talked to a lot of people. We’re talking to people long-term. One of the problems you have when you’ve got four teams is you’re conflicted with a lot of people.” One of those conflicts is "in the insurance field, where Earnhardt has a personal services agreement through JR Motorsports with Nationwide Insurance." Because of the Hendrick relationship with Farmers Insurance, Kahne's primary sponsor, there is "no opportunity for Nationwide to sponsor Earnhardt." Meanwhile, other teams "don’t want Hendrick to sell the sponsorship at less than what it’s worth" (SPORTINGNEWS.com, 1/29).

ON PINS & NEEDLES: In Charlotte, Jim Utter reported last-minute sponsorship problems could "derail Jeb Burton’s season" in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. A team spokesperson said that if Arrowhead Electronic Cigarettes is "unable or unwilling to fund the Turner Scott Motorsports team, then the organization will have to 'review' its options." Reports surfaced Monday that the company "would not be Burton’s sponsor" for '14. Burton is the son of former NASCAR driver Ward Burton (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 1/28).

WHEELS & DEALS: Team Penske announced yesterday that it has entered into a multiyear deal with aircraft manufacturer Gulfstream Aerospace (Penske)....IndyCar team Panther Racing Managing Partner & CEO John Barnes said that there "hasn't been a resolution" to the team's National Guard sponsorship after it was reported that the brand was leaving for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. But in Indianapolis, Curt Cavin wrote it is "clear" that "no other IndyCar Series team has come forward with an announcement regarding a partnership with the National Guard" (INDYSTAR.com, 1/28).

Texas A&M interim VP/Marketing & Communications Shane Hinckley said that the school and the Seahawks "talk often and are already in discussions about the future" of their licensing agreement for the school's trademarked "12th Man" slogan, according to Kate Hairopoulos of the DALLAS MORNING NEWS. Hairopolous notes the royalty is "subject to renegotiation after this contractual period," which ends in '16. Hinckley said that issues that "weren't commonplace" when the parties drew up the agreement in '06, such as "the use of Twitter and Instagram," are also expected to be discussed. The Seahawks as part of the deal are "not allowed to sell 12th Man merchandise" and the team is "limited on how it can use the trademark on promotional material, confined to a geographical territory that includes Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Washington, Oregon and Utah." In addition, "specific rules for attribution to A&M are stated." The Seahawks paid A&M a lump sum of $100,000 and pay
an annual royalty of $5,000" as part of the original five-year deal,
with "an option for renewal that was picked up." A&M reps "typically take at least one trip to a Seahawks game a year" where they "shop local and stadium gift shops for violations and make sure A&M attributions are in place where required -- even if they’re in small print." Hinckley said, "We go as kind of a mystery shopper, so to speak, and enforce it up there quite a bit. They’ve been a good partner." He added that most of the trademark violations "come from third parties who try to profit from the use of the trademark with products or businesses" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 1/30).

Early reaction to the "eye-catching new design" on the '14 Boston Marathon jacket "has been split," according to Jill Radsken of the BOSTON GLOBE. The '14 Celebration Jacket is a "fluorescent orange with contrast blue and white striping around the shoulders and across the back." Boston Athletic Association officials "consulted with Adidas on the colors and design, which include an embroidered BAA logo with the words 'Boston Runs as One' on the back collar." The saying is "an evolution of Adidas’s 'Boston Stands as One' motto conceived just days after last year’s Marathon bombings." Fashion expert Lydia Santangelo "praised the 'Boston Runs' sentiment (a percent of sales from the jackets will benefit the One Fund Boston), but gave kudos for the style components as well." However, there has been a "stream of critical reviews at the sportswear company’s e-commerce site." BAA Dir of Communications Jack Fleming said that he "hopes the 36,000 runners -- and the expected throngs of spectators who will cheer them on -- will feel differently when all of the designs, including the forthcoming debut of the royal blue T-shirt and windbreaker handed out to runners and volunteers, respectively, can be viewed as a cohesive collection" (BOSTON GLOBE, 1/30).

A STONE'S THROW: Organic yogurt brand Stonyfield yesterday announced a deal to sponsor the April 21 Boston Marathon. As part of the agreement, the New Hampshire-based company is forming Team Stonyfield, allowing qualified runners who missed the entry cutoff to participate in the race. The brand has set up a web page where runners can enter for a chance to win a spot in the event. The nine runners who win spots via the promotion will receive travel stipends, team uniforms and other perks (THE DAILY).

ADWEEK's Emma Bazilian noted JCPenney over the next few weeks will be "encouraging customers to round up purchases to the nearest dollar to support" the USOC. To promote the campaign, JCPenney "came up with an extremely random but also sort-of-genius concept: an Olympics-themed remake of Blackstreet's 1996 hip-hop classic 'No Diggity'" featuring U.S. skier Ted Ligety. The "Go Ligety" spot "loosely parodies Blackstreet's original 'No Diggity' video, but with JCPenney being a family brand and all, there are some pretty major changes: Rather than having scantily clad video girls emerge from a limo, the 'Go Ligety' backup dancers are a group of minivan-driving suburban moms" (ADWEEK.com, 1/29).

SERVING UP DEALS: In London, Bill Wilson wrote tennis player Eugenie Bouchard is "being tipped as the next marketing face of the women's game." WTA Chair & CEO Stacey Allaster said, "She is an incredibly talented athlete, and a very marketable brand ambassador for any company that wants to get involved with her. I do believe that with her winning form and continued success that many brands will look to Genie for partnerships." At present, Bouchard has "only a handful of brand associations, mostly tennis equipment-related, albeit of a high-profile nature" (BBC.co.uk, 1/28).

SKY'S THE LIMIT: Mobile Bay LPGA Classic Tournament Dir Jonathan Romeo said that adding Airbus as the title sponsor "brings even more strength to the event." He said, "Having a title sponsor from a corporate citizen that is locally based, that's what you want. They've got ownership of the event and being a part of the event, it raises the level, probably higher than this event's ever been, and it will continue to get bigger and bigger as Airbus' involvement grows more and more.'' Romeo said that it "was obviously important to find a title sponsor for the tournament, but to find one that is so involved with the local community, especially a company just coming into the community, is a huge plus" (AL.com, 1/28).
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